The six people who were found dead inside a room at a luxury hotel in Bangkok on July 16 all died from drinking cyanide-tainted tea after a possible dispute over an investment deal, Thai officials revealed.
The six victims, who were American and Vietnamese citizens, were all guests at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok. They were last seen by hotel staff and surveillance footage on July 15.
According to Thai officials, hotel staff saw the woman staying in the room when delivering room service. A short time later, the other five guests were seen on security footage arriving at the room. After that, nobody was seen leaving the room and nobody else arrived.
After the guests failed to check out on July 16, a maid sent to check the room discovered the bodies inside.
In a press conference the following day, authorities revealed that forensic testing confirmed that cyanide was found in thermoses and six tea cups left in the room. Autopsies on the six victims confirmed traces of cyanide as well.
According to Thai authorities, the victims – three men and three women – were all between the ages of 37 and 56. Two of the victims were a married Vietnamese American couple and the others were Vietnamese citizens.
After interviewing the family members of the victims, police believe that the meeting in the hotel had something to do with an investment the married couple made with two other victims to build a hospital in Japan.
Authorities believe that a dispute over the investment may have prompted the poisonings.
Police officials told reporters that a seventh individual related to one of the victims had also been a guest in the hotel but left several days earlier and likely played no role in the poisonings.
Thai authorities said they suspect that the Vietnamese American woman, later identified as 56-year-old Sherine Chong, served the cyanide-laced tea to the others before drinking the poison herself.
